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The Mountain Trail: What is it?

Mountain trail competition

The beautiful story of the mountain trail

Mountain trail riding has its roots in the work of ranch and trail horses in North America. Riders sought to prepare their horses to safely cross obstacles encountered in the mountains or in the wilderness: bridges, tree trunks, rocky passages, rivers, slopes, ascents and descents.

One of the pioneers of this approach was Major Roger E. Fawcett, a cavalry officer in the U.S. Army. Convinced that a good horse should be able to move confidently over all types of terrain, he developed a training method in the mid-20th century based on jumping natural and artificial obstacles. His work has greatly influenced modern methods of training horses for trail riding and leisure.

Later, Mark Bolender played a major role in structuring the discipline as we know it today. A rider, trainer, and course designer, he developed specific obstacles, judging criteria, and a true working philosophy centered on safety, confidence, and precision. A three-time U.S. national champion, he is considered one of the leading ambassadors of Mountain Trail worldwide.

With his wife Lee Bolender, he founded the International Mountain Trail Challenge Association (IMTCA), an organization that establishes competition rules, trains judges, and supports the international development of the sport. Thanks to their work, certified courses have been created in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia, contributing to the global growth of mountain trail running.

Today, Mountain Trail riding is practiced both as a leisure activity and as a competitive sport. It appeals to riders from all disciplines, whether they come from Western, classical, trail, TREC riding, or are simply looking for a better relationship with their horse.

Mark Bolender and Sophie

Mountain Trail becomes an international FITE discipline

In September 2025, at its General Assembly, the International Federation of Equestrian Tourism (FITE) voted to officially integrate Mountain Trail into its disciplines. This decision marks international recognition of the discipline, which thus joins TREC, working equitation, skijoring, mounted archery, and TREC driving.

This recognition is not merely symbolic: it allows Mountain Trail to have an international regulatory framework, to organize official competitions between countries and to develop European and international championships.

A common international regulation

To support this integration, an international set of regulations has been developed. It is based on the principles developed by Mark and Lee Bolender, while having been adapted and enriched by French and Italian experts in order to meet the objectives of FITE: safety, sporting fairness and the welfare of the horse.

Two new events have also been created to complement the classic courses and to further highlight the technical skill and partnership between horse and rider. The international regulations now include four events:

  • the proof in hand;

  • the mounted test;

  • Extreme Mountain climbed with a rope, timed;

  • Extreme Mountain in hand, timed.

This recognition promotes the development of the discipline.

The inclusion of the Mountain Trail in the FITE opens up numerous possibilities:

  • the organization of European Championships and, eventually, other international competitions;

  • the creation of a network of international judges trained according to a single set of rules;

  • the harmonization of judgment criteria between different countries;

  • improved visibility of the discipline among riders and national federations.

The first international competition applying these FITE regulations was held in the spring of 2026, marking the beginning of this new stage in the history of Mountain Trail.

A discipline perfectly aligned with FITE's values

Mountain Trail's integration into FITE is explained by the common values they uphold:

  • respect for the horse and its well-being;

  • horsemanship based on trust rather than constraint;

  • preparing the horse for outdoor activities;

  • the rider's safety;

  • a practice accessible to all breeds, all riding styles and all levels.

Mountain Trail riding doesn't aim to reward speed or power, but rather the quality of the relationship between horse and rider, the precision of the jumps, and the pair's ability to navigate calmly in situations inspired by natural terrain. It is this philosophy that convinced the FITE to establish it as a fully recognized international discipline.

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